One Long Year
by tcsced
Summary: Takes place after JWFK and what happens during the first year after the events in JWFK.


Claire sat on the bleachers of the pier with Maisie by her side. It was a warm but windy evening. It was late summer in San Francisco. School was getting ready to start back up in a couple of weeks and the beach behind them was bustling with tourists and the typical California surfer types. Most of the people on the beach were in the sand instead of the water. Even though the Mosasaurus has been safely captured and taken into captivity until the government could decide her ultimate fate, most beach goers were still apprehensive about getting in the ocean. Claire remembered watching the BREAKING NEWS come through the television at her office two months prior and hearing that the large marine dinosaur had been tranquilized and taken to a temporary holding tank in Southern California where she would be fed and studied until the politicians stepped in to decide what needed to happen to her. Claire remembered the feeling of sheer relief of hearing this news and how these last two months had been the longest she'd ever been through. The wind picked up and Maisie opened her sketchbook to draw passersby on the pier. Claire was amazed at how artistic Maisie was for such a small child. It seemed like every day she drew a new dinosaur in her sketchbook, some Claire didn't even know existed and she was embarrassed when she had to tell Maisie she didn't know what some of them were. Claire closed her eyes let the wind hit her face and blow her hair. It felt good. It was one of the few things that had felt good to her in a long time. She drifted off into space and thought back to the past year and the everything that happened since the incident at Lockwood's estate.

After the incident last year, Claire and Owen faced media scrutiny once again, Claire getting the heavier of the weights thrown upon them. Weeks of hearings and deliberations took place and Claire faced possible imprisonment, fines out the wazoo, and possibly losing Maisie. Her entire office was searched, the feds looking for any clue that would lead them to believe she had some knowledge or plans in advance to illegally traffic the dinosaurs from the island to the US. Every computer, laptop, and phone that belonged to her and everyone employed at the DPG was confiscated and filed through with a fine toothed comb. Ultimately, nothing was found on paper or on any electronic device leading to any evidence she had anything to do with what happened and she was cleared of any major charges. Yes, she was there, this was true. But her reasons for being there were completely different than what the government thought they were. She took the stand, put her hand over the Bible and swore to tell the truth, and she did just that. She explained how she was called to Benjamin Lockwood's estate and was told by Eli Mills that with his money and someone's secret approval in the federal government, the dinosaurs would be captured in the most humane way possible and taken to a different piece of land, free from tourists and humans in general to live out the rest of their lives in peace. No fences, no barricades, no theme park rides, just land and water to graze on and enjoy their lives the way they did 65 million years ago. Owen took the stand as well, put his hand over the Bible and told the same truth. Mills had promised him the same things over the phone but he never thought twice about actually going until Claire said she was going. Claire knew she could hook Owen by bringing Blue into the picture, but as smart and educated as Claire Dearing was she never caught on that Owen Grady came back to that island for her first, not his dinosaur. He couldn't let her go alone, not knowing what would happen or if he would ever see her again. So he reluctantly got on that plane and spent the next 24-48 hours running from every dinosaur known to man, spewing volcanic lava and even a few humans that were not on his side. He admitted it to her the night they came back from Lockwood's estate and she stubbornly acted like she didn't believe him but he could see the tears well up in her eyes that night and he didn't know if it was from that realization or just pure exhaustion and the pain in her leg talking, but either way he knew it was time to make things work between them again.

Some DNA from a piece of a finger found at Lockwood's estate confirmed Mills's death and Iris was found alive and willingly testified that Maisie should be placed in the custody of Ms. Dearing, pointing out her knowledge of Claire's work with the DPG and how Lockwood admired her and genuinely liked her. She knew Claire was hard working and forward thinking and would provide for Maisie the way Maisie needed providing. She could not speak for Owen's personality because she honestly did not know him, having never met him in person before the court hearings, as he refused Lockwood's initial request to meet at the estate to discuss the dinosaur transfer. The judge eventually granted Claire full custody of Maisie despite her and Owen's request for joint custody. The judge pointed out the fact that if they were married, Maisie would automatically belong to both of them legally. Claire was at least able to list Owen as Maisie's guardian should something happen to her. He would then be given full custody. The only other way Owen would get shared custody of Maisie was to marry Claire. They both agreed to take things slow in that department and Owen had no worries that in the meantime, Claire would do everything possible to provide for Maisie in the way she needed and he would be there helping her every day anyway. With all of this laid out in front of him, he was okay with the judge's decision for the time being. There was still no clear answer on how the dinosaurs escaped Lockwood's estate in the first place. No security cameras were never found to contain any footage showing the dinosaurs being released. Claire never asked Franklin and Franklin never said anything otherwise but she had a feeling he and his computer skills took care of that issue before they left the estate and she wasn't about to say anything about it. This was mainly to protect Maisie. Iris had provided documents for Maisie including a "birth certificate" and "social security" card. No one besides Iris, Claire, Owen, Zia, Franklin and Maisie knew about Maisie's secret identity and the six of them planned to keep it that way. As far as everyone else in the world was concerned, Maisie was Benjamin Lockwood's granddaughter and daughter to his daughter who passed away at a young age. That was the extent of her backstory.

Claire was sentenced to pay a pretty large fine for her involvement in bringing the dinosaurs into the country from Isla Nublar. Maisie became her ticket to stay in the free world and avoid imprisonment because the judge and Iris knew Maisie had nowhere else to go and Maisie made it clear to the social workers, Iris, the judge and the lawyers that she didn't want to live with anyone except Claire and Owen. In order to care for Maisie, Claire would have to stay out of prison to do that and thankfully, the judge was a compassionate and forgiving person.

Now it was time for Owen's punishment. The judge did not rule in his favor on Maisie but his next decision was even tougher on Owen. The Navy was called in to locate and capture the Mosasaurus and Owen was ordered to enlist back in to the Navy to aid in this operation. Usually as a general protocol, the Navy would not accept applicants for service as an alternative to criminal prosecution or other punitive sentences. However, the Navy Recruiting Manual did not appear to contain specific provisions that would make such applicants ineligible for enlistment. The judge sentenced Owen to one year in the Navy to help track down and study the marine reptile until the government could decide what to do with her. Once his year was up and the dinosaur was captured he would be eligible for an honorable discharge again with no further criminal punishment laid out in front of him. Fine. The only problem was he had to spend the next year on a cargo ship out in the middle of the ocean and not with Claire and Maisie. This was another reason the judge gave Claire full custody. Now it all made sense to him. How could he care for a child when he was on a ship out in the middle of nowhere for a year? Owen felt like he was in prison the moment the judge gave his sentencing. He was ordered to enlist immediately as the ship assigned to the operation was leaving within a week.

Six days later the three of them found themselves at the pier. The ship was docked and Owen, along with several other Navy personnel said goodbye to their families. He promised to call them every chance he could. Service would not be great out in the middle of the ocean but there would be phones available on the ship for use on assigned days. It was a very strict operation and phone time and Skype would be kept to a minimum. Maisie, having only known Claire and Owen for a short amount of time, felt a kinship to both of them and quickly grew to love them as if they were her own parents almost. They had shown her nothing but protection, love and empathy since she fell into their laps that fateful night. She recognized their compassion towards her and gravitated to them instantly. Maisie jumped into Owen's arms as he got ready to say goodbye and he almost lost his grip when he grabbed her, not knowing she would literally JUMP at him. She sobbed uncontrollably for what seemed like forever. This only made Claire sob more too. Owen held onto Maisie for as long as he could. He ran a hand through her hair and tried to comfort her as much as possible. He eventually put her down and knelt to her level and promised her he would return home safely. She made him also promise to take good care of the Mosasaurus once he found her and caught her. "This kid is Claire all over again," he thought to himself. He smiled and made the promise to her and stood up straight to face Claire. She was pacing around in small circles trying to process everything that was happening. She had her arms crossed with one hand up cupping her cheek. Her eyes were bloodshot red from crying and her hands and arms were shaking. He put both arms around her and her head fell into his chest as she tried to gasp for air. He began the comforting process all over again. It did not work as well on Claire as it did on Maisie. Owen tried to lighten the mood by joking that Claire would get to drive his van for a whole year if she wanted to without any protest from him. It did nothing to lift the pain from her soul. She finally looked up at him and he kissed her so passionately on the lips that she thought she her heart would shatter into a million pieces from all the emotions stirring around inside. When he finally pulled away she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him right back in for another kiss. She was done running in that moment. She was done being too proud to say she was with him, although she had let go of her pride on that matter the day they got on the plane and landed on the island for the last time. She was done being too proud to say she loved him to everyone besides him. She didn't care anymore. In that moment she stopped worrying if they were right for each other. They both knew how Alpha they both were, and how if they did end up together for the rest of their lives, they would argue nonstop about certain things big and small forever. But Claire knew she loved him with every cell in her body and she couldn't bare the thought of being alone without him for a whole year again. She had done that already, but before, she had made that choice herself and he was safe in the woods building a cabin, not sentenced to a life on a ship in the middle of nowhere looking for a giant marine reptile with 88 teeth. After they went through what they did together a second time around she knew she couldn't go home without him or leave him again. They were incompatible in so many ways but that connection and that passion and that love was never going to go away and she knew that. After their second kiss Claire wrapped her arms around Owen's neck as tightly as she could and told him she loved him. She also made him promise that he would come home safely and that he would call or Skype every opportunity he was given. He made this promise to her as well. Claire finally pulled away from him and ran her hands down his chest brushing off his uniform of the tears she and Maisie left there. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked in his Navy blue working uniform. Claire didn't know Owen when he was in the Navy the first time around. She had only seen a few pictures of him in his uniforms but had never seen him in person wearing a one. "You look very dapper, Mr. Grady." Claire tried to smile through her words but only started sobbing again as she spoke. Owen smiled at her and said, "why thank you, my Dearing," instead of "my dear." There it was. He had made her smile through the tears. He kissed her one more time and pulled Maisie in for a group hug. Someone on the ship yelled something in the distance and Owen knew that was his call. He had to go. He picked up his bag and told them both he loved them. Claire picked Maisie up and she wrapped her legs around Claire's waist and rested her head on Claire's shoulder. For a 9 year old, she was still very tiny and lightweight. Her grandfather was too sick the last couple of years to lift her up and Iris, although very nurturing, never really picked Maisie up either. And of course Mills never paid much attention to her. Neither Claire nor Maisie took their eyes off of Owen as he walked to the ship and got on. They both watched him disappear inside the door that was connected to the ramp that lead the military men and women onto the ship. After a few minutes the ship started to pull away from the pier and Claire and Maisie moved over to a set of bleachers and sat down. Claire was so upset and shaken that she didn't feel like she could safely drive them home yet. Maisie remained attached to Claire. She sat in Claire's lap, forgetting about the wound on Claire's right thigh. Claire had forgotten all about it too in that moment. The emotional pain was much greater than the physical pain she was enduring at that point. She held Maisie so tightly she thought she might accidentally crush her. They both sat and sobbed quietly for about 30 minutes watching the ship get smaller and smaller in the distance as it made its way out into the ocean. When they could barely see the ship anymore Claire stood up with Maisie still attached to her body and carried her to the car and they drove home to Claire's apartment in the city. The cabin life would have to wait...at least for a year.

The first night without Owen was particularly hard on Claire. She had managed to put Maisie to bed without much of a fuss. When Claire tucked her in, Maisie asked when they would get to talk to Owen. Claire honestly didn't know. She and Owen promised Maisie there would never be any secrets between them, as Maisie had secrets hidden from her the first nine years of her life. Claire and Owen didn't want to hide anything from her. Instead they wanted to be as open and honest about as much as they could with her. So instead of telling Maisie they would talk to Owen soon, Claire told Maisie the truth. "I honestly don't know when we'll talk to him next, Sweetie." The young girl looked up at Claire with sad, worried eyes. Claire kissed her on the forehead and said goodnight. She left one of Maisie's two night lights on for her and started to exit the spare bedroom that now belonged to Maisie. She barely got to the doorway before she heard her name called out. "Claire?" Maisie said it so softly that Claire almost didn't hear her. She turned around and asked Maisie what was wrong. "If you get scared I'll come sleep with you in your bed or you can come sleep with me in mine." Claire teared up at the sweet offer this little girl she'd only known for a few months had just proposed to her. "Thank you, Sweetie. And if you get scared, you can come sleep in my bed." They shared a smile and Claire left Maisie's room with the door only half shut so she could hear her down the hall if she had a nightmare in the middle of the night. They had spent many nights together in the same bed already since leaving Lockwood's estate. Nightmares were a common thing for both of them. Ever since the incident, both Claire and Maisie had been experiencing frequent nightmares. Owen occasionally had them too, but not as bad as the girls.

Claire walked into her bedroom and saw her king size bed completely made up and empty where Owen was usually waiting for her. She tried to ignore the sight and walked straight into her bathroom to brush her teeth and change out her bandage on her leg. Claire removed the gauze and tape that was wrapped all the way around the bottom of her thigh, right above her knee. The wound was deep and although she had gotten it seen about as soon as possible after they left Lockwood's estate, it still looked gruesome. She was no longer taking any antibiotics and the tissue was starting to slowly grow back together but the stitches were still intact and would be for a while. "We're back together for three months and now he's gone all over again, great." Claire mumbled the words out loud to herself, frustrated with having to change her bandage on her own. She never liked anyone doing anything for her, especially a MAN, but she had gotten accustomed to Owen helping her clean her wound and change out her bandage every night. It was, to her, the most profound way he had ever shown his love to her. He was always so delicate and careful to avoid hurting her at all costs. Now she had to do all herself. She suddenly thought of all the things she would have to do by herself for the next year. She would have to clean the house alone, cook and pay all the bills. She was used to doing these things herself, having lived independently since college. This was not a problem. The biggest challenge of all was to play the part of a single mom to a child she was still getting to know. She didn't know how to be a mother. How on Earth was she going to do this alone? Her head and leg both starting throbbing at the thought. Her right leg was propped up on the side of the bathtub so she could remove her bandage and all of a sudden everything became too much for Claire and she had to pull her leg down and sit. She slid down the wall next to the tub and sat facing the vanity. Her face fell into her hands and she began crying uncontrollably and shaking to the point she could barely catch her breath. She forced herself to take some deep breaths and finally picked herself up from the bathroom floor, only now she was angry. She started beating the wall with her fists and screaming. This was not something Claire Dearing ever did. She was not someone who was easily overcome by rage. She got upset, aggravated, annoyed and pissed sometimes, but never to the point that she hit things. This was a side of herself that frightened her. She punched the wall a few times and let out a few screams and eventually fell to the floor crying again. Claire was a mess. "I can't do this. I can't do this by myself. How am I supposed to do this by myself? Why did I go back to that island? Why did I put my life and his in danger? I need my damn head examined for this shit!" A few months ago she was living her life, going to work every day to something she was so passionate about, and even though she and Owen were not "together" at the time and she was admittedly lonely, she felt like she had herself together. Now here she was a reckless mess on the bathroom floor with her boyfriend back in her life but hundreds of miles away on a Navy ship, and a little girl who looked up to her even though she barely knew how to take care of her. She finally managed to calm herself enough to change out her bandage and wash the makeup off her face for the night. She was surprised all her punching and screaming didn't put a hole in the wall or wake Maisie. Then she feared maybe Maisie did hear her and was too afraid to come check on her. Claire decided to walk back down the hall to check on Maisie. Maisie was sound asleep in her bed facing the wall with her stuffed Stegosaurus under her arm. Claire breathed a sigh of relief and went back to her bedroom. She pulled the covers back on the bed and crawled in and turned off the lamp on the night stand on her side of the bed. She laid there for about an hour in the dark thinking about everything that fell on her shoulders and how she caused it all. She knew her sister would be helpful with any "mom" questions she had, but she still lived over 2,000 miles away and had a full time job and two kids of her own. Claire wouldn't dare ask her to come out to California to help her anyway. She was still too proud for that. Her parents were also too far away and Claire knew her strained relationship with her mother was not the best environment for Maisie to be witness to. Owen's parents lived about three hours away and they had met Maisie once and adored her but they spent most of their new, retired lives traveling the world. Claire realized after meeting them a few years ago where Owen got his love for living in a van and riding around the country. His parents always liked her and she liked them. In fact, Owen told her after they came home from Lockwood's mansion how upset his mother was when they first broke up. When he called his mother upon his arrival home from the second incident, she was elated first of all to hear that her son was alive and then ecstatic when he told her that he and Claire were back together. They were upset to learn about his re-enlistment in the Navy again, but were on the other side of the world when he called them to give them the bad news and they had no way of making it home in time to see him off. They promised they would be there when he returned home, however. Claire tossed and turned in her bed for a while. Her leg was throbbing and her eyes burned from all the crying she had done all day. Suddenly, she heard her door open slightly and a child's soft voice. "Claire, are you awake?" Maisie stood there holding her stuffed Stegosaurus with tears streaming down her face. Claire motioned for Maisie to get in the bed with her. "Come here, sweetheart, I'm still awake." Maisie ran over and crawled in bed with Claire. She got under the covers and Claire stretched out her right arm for Maisie to curl up in. "Did you have a nightmare, Mais?" Maisie looked up at Claire with sad eyes. "No, I just don't want to sleep alone tonight." Claire shares Maisie's feelings. "I don't either baby." They faced each other and wiped each other's tears and soon drifted off to sleep together, emotional exhaustion finally getting the better of them. They would start a new life together in the morning. The two of them.

The first few weeks were somber in the Dearing-Lockwood household. They had not heard anything from Owen since the day he boarded the ship and with every day that passed, Claire became increasingly worried. Another month passed and one Sunday afternoon Claire and Maisie were lying on the couch wrapped in a blanket watching a movie when Claire's phone rang. She didn't recognize the number which she thought was a good sign and sure enough, when she answered, she heard Owen's voice on the other side. She immediately put her phone on "speaker" so Maisie could join in the conversation. He told them about their unsuccessful efforts at sea to track the Mosasaurus so far but that they had a few plans on what to do once they found her. The three of them talked for about 15 minutes until Owen had to go. He promised to call again soon, but soon turned out to be not for another six weeks.

About half the year had passed and Maisie and Claire had adjusted to life together. There had been a couple of dinosaur sightings but the teams called in to capture them failed at their attempts. They were smaller herbivores so the media made a big deal out of it for about a week then they seemed to go back to the rest of the news in the world because there wasn't a huge threat to human life from a small plant eating dinosaur roaming around. Claire and her team tried to gather enough support to capture them safely and humanely, but got nowhere with anyone wanting to help in the way of funds or operations. They were grazing off the land and for the meantime were okay, but she kept trekking on with her mission to save them. Maisie was enjoying school, much to Claire's surprise and delight. Claire was given limited access to Maisie's inheritance to use for things like education, clothing, the essentials. As much as Claire and Owen did not want to touch any of the money, Iris encouraged them to use it for what they needed that was necessary, especially since Claire took out a huge chunk of her life savings to pay the fine she was ordered to pay for her involvement in the incident. Iris knew how wealthy Lockwood was and he made it clear in his will that a small portion of his wealth went to Iris, enough for her to live out the rest of her life on, and the rest went to Maisie. Mills would have had access to the funds had he lived to be her guardian. Iris knew Claire and Owen enough to know they would not blow the money or spend it unwisely on unnecessary things. Claire could have hired a private tutor for Maisie, or sent her to a very expensive private school, but instead she and Owen had discussed placing her in a public school, a very good public school. They wanted her to live as normal a life as possible and learn and play with kids her own age. They talked it over with Maisie who was actually excited about going to a regular school. She was making good grades and good friends, something that made Claire happy. Her school was around the corner from the DPG office so Claire was able to drop her off every morning and run and pick her up every afternoon. She would take her back to her office to work on a few more things most afternoons and Maisie sat at an empty desk and did her homework and never bothered anyone. She was a good kid. Claire often got lost in watching Maisie and feeling relieved and thankful for what a sweet, well mannered little girl she was. At least Lockwood and Iris raised her right. Zia or someone else would usually have to tap Claire's shoulder or say her name a few times to get her to focus back on their discussion or work.

Work was a little more scarce than what it was before the incident. Once the dinosaurs were out in the open and people had to fear for their lives, not too many people wanted to fund or support the DPG. There were still some politicians that supported the idea of relocating a lot of them to a sanctuary on a remote island, and Claire still had a few teachers who supported her efforts and allowed her to come speak to their classrooms. Claire took advantage of every opportunity, especially visiting the schools. She figured the children were the future and if she could convince them at a young age that dinosaurs deserved the same protections other animals deserved under the law, then maybe some good would come of all of this in the future.

Claire and Maisie had their evening routine down to a science. They would come home from school and work, Maisie would finish her homework while Claire began dinner, and they would eat together and talk about their day. Claire would then help Maisie with whatever homework was left or anything she didn't understand and then it was time for baths and bed. Maisie had a bedtime of 8:30 on school nights. Once she was in bed, Claire would sit up for a few more hours working on her laptop in bed or at the kitchen table. One night Claire was working on a proposal to send to a new politician when her Skype popped up and there was Owen. She almost came out of the kitchen chair when she saw him. This was the first time he had been able to get a good enough signal out on the ship to Skype. Claire told him to wait just a minute and she ran and woke Maisie up so she could see and talk to Owen too. Maisie crawled up in Claire's lap, positioning herself on Claire's good leg and they talked to Owen for about 20 minutes. He sounded tired and sad, but he tried not to let it show in his voice. They both cried a little and told him how much they missed him. He told them he was ready to come home and Claire broke down. Maisie tried to comfort Claire right in front of Owen and he told her to continue holding Claire together until he got home.

A few days later Claire and Maisie got a very unexpected, surprise visit from Karen and Gray. It was a Friday afternoon and they had flown in from Michigan to spend the weekend with them. Zach was away at college and couldn't make the trip with them. They showed up at Claire's apartment with a stuffed penguin for Maisie and a bottle of wine for Claire. Karen had met Maisie once but Gray hadn't. It didn't take long for Gray and Maisie to hit it off. He was a few years older than her but they spent the rest of the evening talking about dinosaurs and how she grew up and Jurassic World and how Aunt Claire and Owen saved him and Zach. They shared their experiences running from dinosaurs and Karen and Claire realized right away that they would be forever friends. The next day Claire and Karen took the kids to the San Francisco Zoo. Claire marveled at how tall Gray had gotten since she saw him last. She had been much better about keeping in touch with her sister and nephews since the incident at the park a few years back. She called at least once a week to talk but getting back to Michigan was still a struggle for Claire. They had lunch at the zoo's outdoor cafeteria and Gray and Maisie got away from them to playfully chase the peacocks around and feed the birds that were scavenging for crumbs. While they kept an eye on the kids from a distance Karen took the opportunity to ask Claire how she was doing. "I'm fine," she mumbled. Karen knew better. "Claire, you're not fine. I can tell. You're an emotional wreck." Claire got defensive which let Karen know right away that what she was saying to Claire was true and Claire knew it. She continued to try and coax some things out of Claire and finally Claire gave in. "You know what, Karen? You're right. I'm not fine. I'm a total mess. I feel like I'm doing a horrible job trying to raise that little girl, I miss Owen, I don't want us to end up back like we did the last time, I want us to work out this time and take things slow and really work on our relationship because I love him, but I'm afraid for his life every day out there on that damn ship, I don't sleep well most nights, I don't have enough work or support at the DPG to keep me as busy as I'd like so I just think about him all day, I'm just all over the place. I used to have it all together, Karen, and now look at me!" Claire was rambling, something she didn't do often. She started to break down and eventually put her face her hands and let the tears fall, ashamed she was having a meltdown in a public place. Karen put her arms around Claire and tried to calm her down. Karen and Claire were very different people, but Karen always knew Claire was stronger than she gave herself credit for. "Claire, you're my little sister, but you've always been way smarter and way cooler than me. You've got this. You're gonna be okay. Owen is going to come home safe. You guys will be able to start over again and hopefully work things out and be the great couple you were before. You're a great team. As for you being a mess, you might feel like one on the inside, but you still look great. I like the longer hair, it's softer." Claire gave a slight smile at this remark. Karen finished her thought. "Owen's a very lucky guy, and you're a very lucky woman, cause girl he's cute!" Claire finally chuckled a little, agreeing with what Karen said about her Navy boyfriend. "Plus, he saved my kids' lives so he'll always be on my good side! You guys have saved each other more than once. He's gonna make it home fine and you guys will be okay." Claire shook her head trying to be agreeable with her sister but she still feared she would see the headline on the news one day or get a phone call that something happened to the ship and he would not be coming home. She shifted her attention back to Maisie and Gray. They were still feeding the birds. Karen noticed Claire watching Maisie and gave her some words of encouragement. "And as for that little girl over there, Claire, you're doing a great job. For someone who never wanted kids of her own, you sure do seem to love that kid. She seems happy. She looks healthy and happy and she loves you to death. She's held your hand all day today. And the way she came and gave you a goodnight hug and kiss last night before we all went to bed just melted my heart. My sister, a mom! I would have never in a million years believed it until I saw it with my own eyes." Claire kept her eyes on Maisie but smiled a little at her sister's kind words. "Thank you, Karen. That means a lot. I never saw myself having any kids. My biggest fear if I ever did had a child though was that I wouldn't be a good mom. Every day I feel like I'm failing her. I don't have a clue what I'm doing. I'm just not cut out for this. I'm just winging it as I go along." Karen put her hand over Claire's on the picnic table they were still sharing. "Claire, we're all just winging it. That's what life is...one big trial and error fest." Claire rebuked her sister's words. "But Karen, you know that isn't me. I need a plan for everything. I need structure and organization and certainty." Karen knew this was more true about her sister than anything else. She tried to give Claire some words of wisdom. "Claire, do you love Maisie?" Claire took a deep breath before answering her sister. "I know this sounds crazy because I've only known her for a few months, but I love that kid with all my heart." Claire choked up as the words fell out of her mouth. "Then that's all she needs. And you're clearly giving her enough love, Claire. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how much you love each other." Claire wiped her tears for a second and asked her sister something she'd been wanting to know since she first met Maisie. "Karen, when did you first fall in love with Zach and Gray?" Karen smiled at her sister, noticing the delightful change in her stance on children. "Well, I loved them both the minute I found out I was pregnant with them, but as soon as they came out I fell madly in love. It's crazy to think that you can fall in love with someone you just met, but that's what happened." Claire still had her eyes on Maisie. "Karen, I think that's what happened to me too. That's why I asked. I don't know what it was, but the second Owen and I found her I just felt this strong connection to her and this need to protect her and hold on to her." Karen looked at Claire and shot her straight. "Claire, that's called love and maternal instinct. You did the same with Zach and Gray as soon as you found out they were in trouble. You saved their lives!" Claire felt ashamed and put her head down. "No, Owen saved their lives. I put them in danger." Claire still felt guilty about almost losing her nephews to a pack of raptors, Pterodactyls and a giant man eating genetic hybrid of a monster. "Claire, you outran a frickin' T-Rex with a hot flare in your hand to save my children. You put their lives ahead of your own. I'm not saying Owen didn't as well, but you protected them and saved them. You guys worked together to keep them alive. And I owe you my life for keeping my children's lives intact." "Well you would have taken my life if I lost one of your children. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself anyway. But I didn't save them just for you, Karen. I loved them and I still do. I know I had a really bad way of showing it in the past, but I do love them. They're both amazing young men and you and Pete have done a wonderful job raising them." The kids finally made their way back to the picnic table to join Karen and Claire. Karen watched as Claire greeted Maisie with open arms and a kiss on the cheek and said, "And you're doing a wonderful job too, baby sis." Claire didn't want the weekend to end. She enjoyed her sister and nephew's company so much, and Maisie made a new best friend in Gray. They promised to stay in touch as much as possible and Claire agreed to let Maisie call Gray once or twice a week on FaceTime to chat.

Another month passed but the nightmares for both Claire and Maisie continued. Maisie spent almost every night in Claire's bed with her. They would take turns calming each other down in the middle of the night. Claire would wake up in a sweat, her leg throbbing in pain from jerking around in the bed so much. Maisie would scream in her sleep and jump straight up in the bed and almost gave Claire a heart attack every time. They were being chased by the Indoraptor, Claire's leg was torn completely off, Maisie had fallen from the balcony of her bedroom at the Lockwood mansion. These visions filled their nightmares a few times a week and neither one knew if the bad dreams would ever subside or not. Occasionally Maisie would sleep in her own room and wake up screaming in the middle of the night, forcing Claire to jump out of bed and run down the hall as fast as she could still sporting a gash across her thigh that had taken some nerve and muscle tissue with it in the process. She had good days and bad days with her leg. Some days the pain was so bad she couldn't stand without leaning on something or someone. Some days it felt numb or didn't hurt at all. The doctor told Claire when she first patched her up after the incident that she was lucky there wasn't worse damage but that she would probably experience pain and/or numbness in her leg for a very long time, maybe the rest of her life. On the nights she would run to Maisie's room to calm her down after a nightmare, she could feel the gash even more intensely than ever. Running, something she had been very good at, now became somewhat of a challenge. She would sit up in Maisie's bed and rock her in her arms until she fell back to sleep. Claire was amazed at how as soon as Maisie would lay her head on her chest, she would start to fall back to sleep as Claire rocked her and sang softly to her. She usually wore low cut, soft, cotton tank tops to sleep in, revealing most of the skin above her chest all the way up to her collar bones and neck. This was merely for comfort, not for looks, but Claire noticed Maisie would curl up around her neck or shoulder or collar bone area and fall asleep there. While on the phone with Karen one day, this topic came up in the conversation. Claire didn't know what age a child usually stopped being so attached to their parent when they were scared. Karen shared some motherly knowledge with her little sister. "Babies like skin on skin contact, Claire. It makes them feel safe. It also regulates their body temperature, breathing and helps stabilize their heart rate, therefore making them calm. And although Maisie is not a baby anymore, she probably never had this as a baby or even as a toddler more than likely. That's probably why she's so independent now because she had to fend for herself even from a very early age. She didn't have a mother to hold her like you do now. But most kids her age now are past the point of wanting to be rocked or soothed like that. She doesn't realize this is what she needs to calm down after a nightmare but it is and might be what she needs for a while. When she lays her head on your chest or your shoulder it's making her feel close to you in a very maternal way. This is what it feels like to be a mother, Claire. It's one of the greatest experiences a mother can have with her child. You don't realize it in the moment, but it calms you down as well. You don't feel afraid for her anymore because you know she's safe in your arms, and as long as you know she is safe, you feel safe too. Claire took in all this information like she was reading it straight from a parental magazine or website. When she got off the phone with her sister she immediately looked it up online to see if her sister was giving her some cockamamie story just to make her feel good or if she was being legitimate. Sure enough, she was telling Claire the truth. Claire was learning more about being a parent every day and it made her feel like this small act of affection was in fact, one of the greatest experiences of being a mother to Maisie that she had ever had. Holding a child in her arms felt very natural to Claire and it freaked her out in a good way every single time she gave Maisie a hug or rocked her to sleep. She wasn't supposed to like this, but she did. It scared the shit out of her. After the incident at Jurassic World, she got to know her nephews more and became a little more kid friendly. She was more comfortable around kids and loved interacting with them in the classrooms she visited with the DPG. However, she still felt weird holding a child in her arms. It was scary and surprisingly comfortable at the same time.

The big announcement finally came almost ten months into Owen's year long enlistment. She had talked to him a week prior on the phone and he told her that they were close to capturing the Mosasaurus. They had to be careful to keep enough distance between her and the ship so that she would not attack them or try to eat the ship. She consumed a whole submarine at one time, and even though the naval ship Owen was on was ten times larger than a submarine, they still had to be cautious. Claire kept the television on CNN at work every day, in case something happened with a dinosaur sighting or Owen's special operation. When the news broke that the Mosasaurus has been safely captured and that everyone on board the ship was safe as well, she embarrassingly cried at work and couldn't concentrate on anything else for the rest of the day. Even though she ran the DPG and was the boss, Zia had to tell her to take the rest of the day off after she picked Maisie up from school. She knew Claire wouldn't be able to focus on anything else. Claire picked Maisie up and told her the good news and they went out that evening to celebrate with Zia and Franklin and a few other DPG members. That didn't mean Owen was out of the woods just yet though. He still had to manage to study her behavior and make sure she was well fed and healthy so that her ultimate fate would be positive instead of the other way around.

His last call before the mission was complete came a few nights after the news broke. "I guess you heard the good news, huh?" Owen sounded tired but happy at the same time. Claire wanted so badly to reach through the phone and feel him. Maisie wanted to hear every detail of how they caught her and what she was doing now. "Owen, did she try to eat you guys?" Owen laughed and told Maisie, "oh yeah, she tried, but we fought back harder!" Claire enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm on Maisie's face while holding this conversation with Owen on speaker phone. He told her he would give her every detail when he got home but that he didn't have much time to talk and had to go but that he loved them both and missed them and would see them soon. He told Claire as soon as he knew of the homecoming date he would call her. Six weeks later CNN reported that the naval mission to capture the Mosasaurus was complete and that the special operations team would return home on July 16th. Claire was ecstatic but worried at the same time. Why didn't Owen call her like he said he would? She tried to tell herself that he tried, but maybe the signal was bad. Or maybe they weren't allowed to discuss any details about the operation and no remaining phone calls were allowed. It was July 3rd. Claire and Maisie spent the 4th of July at home eating ice cream and "break and bake" cookies Claire threw in the oven. She usually fed them both mostly healthy foods and snacks but since it was a holiday and they also finally had a date for Owen's return, she let her guard down and enjoyed every bite of the sugary sweets she allowed them both to feast on. That night as Claire tucked Maisie into her own bed, the young girl sat back up and wrapped her arms around Claire so tight Claire thought she would choke. This was not unusual behavior for Maisie, but then she started to tear up and said some things that left Claire on the verge of tears herself. "Claire, thank you for everything the past year. Thank you for taking me in when I had nowhere else to go. Thank you for not letting them take me to live with some other family. I know I've thanked you and Owen before but I don't feel like I show my appreciation enough. Thank you for letting me sleep in your bed most nights. Thank you for calming me down at night when I have a nightmare and staying with me. Thank you for helping me with my homework. Thank you for feeding me and buying me clothes and toys and books and making me do chores so I can learn what responsibilities are." Did this kid really just thank Claire for giving her chores? Claire was baffled. How did she get so lucky to have such a good kid fall into her lap? Maisie continued on, almost as if she had practiced this speech in advance. "Thank you for reading to me at night to help me fall asleep sometimes. Thank you for taking me places on the weekends and letting my friend, Sophie come over sometimes." Maisie still had a tight grip around Claire's neck the whole time, but the final words of her speech made Claire grab her just as tightly and let out a sob so loud the next door neighbors in Claire's apartment complex could have heard. "Thank you for being my mom. I never had a mom before. Thank you for being the best mom I could have asked for. I love you, Claire." Claire's eyes were already shut while she rocked Maisie back and forth on the bed as Maisie made her speech, but they shut even tighter and she let the tears fall out over her face when Maisie spoke those last lines. Claire never wanted kids, or so she thought. She thought she would be a horrible parent. She was content to make her work her child. If it were left up to her to decide whether or not to have children she would have probably never had any. Or so she thought. In that moment she was a changed person. A ten year old had changed her life. They had grown so much together over the past year. They had learned so much about each other and their love for each other had grown so much as well. Claire didn't say anything for a few seconds. She let the words sink in, then she finally pulled away from Maisie with a wet face and said, "Maisie, sweetheart, you have completely changed my life. You are such a good kid and I can't imagine going through everything you've gone through by the time I was ten years old. I'm so thankful every day that Owen and I found you and that you came into our lives. I love you so much, I love you with all my heart, kiddo!" Maisie jumped in for another hug and Claire never made it to her bedroom. She snuggled up to Maisie in her bed and they fell asleep together, Maisie curled up in Claire's arm.

The next two weeks seemed to drag by so slowly. Maisie had somehow made it through the entire school year without getting sick and then somehow managed to come down with a cold accompanied by a fever in the middle of the summer. Claire was afraid they wouldn't be able to welcome Owen at the pier if Maisie wasn't feeling better by the time he came home. She took Maisie to a pediatrician to get an antibiotic, but her fever just didn't seem to want to subside. The doctor told her if it wasn't down within five days to bring her back in. Claire had worked from home for three days straight and was getting worried. She kept alternating between Children's Tylenol and Children's Motrin with no luck. She called Karen to ask for some more "motherly" advice. Karen explained that Motrin works better to reduce fever in some kids and Tylenol works better in other kids. Instead of alternating the two, she suggested she try just one of the medicines for a day to see if that worked. If it didn't, to try the other one for a day. Claire asked which one worked better on the boys when they were little. Karen said Tylenol so Claire tried that first. By the end of the 3rd day Maisie's fever had dropped from 101 to 99 and by around lunch time the next day, her fever had broken completely. She started to feel better and said she had to get better so they could go meet Owen at the pier in a week. Claire was relieved and just as excited as Maisie was about Owen's homecoming.

Almost a whole year had passed. How had they made it? Claire wondered this over and over again as she sat nervously tapping her left foot along the bleachers on the pier. This was the big day! She still hadn't heard from Owen personally since the homecoming date was announced on the news, and she feared that when the ship arrived he would not be getting off. His parents were there with Claire and Maisie, and Owen's mother tried to convince Claire that he would be there. They were one of the first groups of families that had arrived that afternoon. Claire wanted to get there early just in case the ship showed up early. It wasn't set to dock until 4:00. It was a few minutes after 3:00 and Claire got up to walk around for a little while. Maisie stayed with Owen's parents on the bleachers. Owen's dad brought along a deck of playing cards and they played Go Fish and Slapjack with Maisie to keep her occupied and entertained for the afternoon wait. Claire pulled her phone out of the pocket of the skinny jeans she was wearing and called her sister. "Karen, what if he doesn't get off that ship?" Karen knew Owen enough to know he was a survivor and could handle almost anything that came swimming or running his way. "Claire, calm down. You don't want to look a mess when he gets off that boat because he's getting off and he's going to scoop you and Maisie up in his arms and go home to start a new life with you guys. Now relax, take a deep breath and go fix your makeup! Shoot me a text later. I want a selfie with the three of you looking adorable together!" Claire laughed a little and told her sister she loved her and that she would send her a picture as soon as they got settled somewhere. They had planned to take Owen out to eat with his parents when he got back so she would have his mom or dad snap a cute picture of them together at some point. Around 3:35 they saw something coming towards them in the distance. It was the ship. The four of them left the bleachers and walked to the closest point they were allowed to greet the the Navy men and women once they got off the ship. The other families started to gather on the pier as well.

By 4:08 the ship was docked securely and the crew started to depart. Families rushed to greet their loved ones in uniform and Claire watched with loving eyes trying not to get choked up. When had she become so soft, she wondered. There was a minute or two where no one else was leaving the ship and she held Maisie's hand tightly, getting more worried by the minute. Finally a few more people got off the ship and then there he was. Dressed in his Navy blue working uniform, boots on and hat, looking so incredibly handsome. She couldn't imagine what he gone through in the past year but he looked good. He always looked so damn good. He walked to the dock from the ramp that was connected to the ship and almost bounced when he landed on the pier. He didn't see them right away. He turned to his left where he knew all the families would be and then he saw them. His mother, father, Maisie and the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. Her bright red hair, glistening so bright in the evening sun, was pinned up in her famous ponytail, her bangs hanging down around her gorgeous green eyes. She was dressed casually in a pair of jeans, a tank top and a pair of sandals. If she felt like she aged any over the past year, she certainly didn't look it. He was severely distracted by her. Someone came from behind him on the ship and nudged him to keep moving. "Hey man, you're holding up the line." It was one of his Navy pals trying to get off the ship to meet his own family. Owen apologized for the distraction and kept walking. Maisie let go of Claire's hand and ran to greet Owen. Claire called for her to stop, not wanting her or Owen to get in trouble for passing the line the families weren't supposed to cross. Maisie, for the first time since she had been in Claire's custody, didn't listen and kept running until she reached Owen. He ran and met her half way and threw his bags down and lifted her up into the air and threw her above his head before bringing her back down in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck so tight. He stopped running and stood right there in the middle of the pier hugging her and kissing her forehead and cheeks over and over again. He was amazed at how this sweet, little girl who still didn't even know him all that well yet, was so enthralled with him. He finally put her down and Claire watched as he whispered something in Maisie's ear and she nodded before running back to Claire and his parents. Claire wondered what he said to Maisie but figured it was just something along the lines of how much he missed her. He picked his bags up and started walking as fast as he could to Claire and she started moving towards him. She felt bad that her leg was giving her problems on the one day she needed to run but she started running what little bit she could towards him. He could see she was in pain so he threw his bags back down and ran to meet her so she wouldn't have to strain her leg so much. Before she knew it she was lifted off the ground. They collided and he scooped her up just as her sister said he would. Without saying anything to her, he kissed her so passionately it reminded her of the kiss they shared on the island right after she knocked out and shot a Pteranodon to save his life. She felt like her feet hadn't touched the ground for several minutes although it was more like 30 seconds. He finally pulled away from her after that amazing kiss and she put her hand up to his face and then wrapped her arms around his neck just as Maisie had a few minutes prior. "Omg, I love you, Owen." She was crying. He felt tears well up in his own eyes. Owen slowly spun Claire around in circles never letting go of his grip around her waist. He could smell the scents of vanilla mixed with sunblock on her neck and shoulders and he knew she was real. He had made it home, this was not a dream. He eventually allowed her feet to touch the ground again and as soon as they did he knelt down on one knee and pulled something from his back pocket. Claire gasped and put her hands up to her mouth in complete shock. "Claire, this past year and the one before it made me realize I don't want to be away from you like that ever again. I know we promised each other we would take it slow this time around and really work on our relationship, and we still can and will, but I just want you to know how much I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Claire? Will you marry me? I don't care when, where or how...just, will you please do me this honor?" He was holding the ring out, ready to slip it on her finger. The sun was beginning to set and the rays reflected off the diamonds making them them sparkle. Claire could barely see how gorgeous the ring was for all the tears in her eyes again. Owen glanced quickly at his father who was recording the proposal on his cell phone. His parents knew of his plans to propose to Claire and it was part of the reason he wanted them there, to record the occasion. Claire was shaking and could barely take her hand down from her mouth to speak. "Yes." "Really?" Owen acted a little surprised, but relieved at the same time. She shook her head "yes" and he slid the ring on her left ring finger. It fit perfectly. He stood up quickly and pulled her in for another kiss. Suddenly they both heard cheering around them and they reluctantly pulled away from each other. A crowd of families and soldiers had gathered around them on the pier and watched the proposal take place. Claire and Owen thanked the crowd for the cheers and congratulatory words. Before they made their way back down the pier to Maisie and his parents, Claire reached up to hug Owen again and whispered in his ear, "I love you so much. I'm so glad you're home." He kissed her on the cheek and told her he loved her too and they walked briskly to where his parents were standing with Maisie. Owen gave his parents each a big hug and they told him how proud they were of him. Then he asked his dad if he got the whole thing recorded. His dad said yes. Claire never noticed his dad filming them the whole time Owen was down on one knee. She was understandably caught up in the moment and didn't notice much of anything else around her at the time. "Oh it was so beautiful!" His mother was beside herself with excitement. It didn't take Claire long to figure out that his parents knew in advance of his plan to propose to her. "Claire, I knew too!" Maisie looked up at Claire with excited eyes. Claire couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What do you mean you knew about it too? Maisie, how long have you known about this?" Maisie then dropped a bombshell on Claire. "Since Owen left a year ago." Claire looked at Maisie and then at Owen. "You has this ring a year ago?" Owen felt like he was in trouble. "I bought it the week I was sentenced to serve for a year. I took it with me and decided if I made it home safe and the ring made it home safe with me, it was meant to be. Maisie already got dibs on my dog tags before I even left last year and I couldn't come home empty handed without something for you." Claire couldn't believe Owen had bought the ring a year ago, managed to keep it safe on a cargo ship for a whole year and that Maisie was in on the secret the whole time and never let it slip. She then realized that was what Owen whispered to Maisie before she ran back to Claire. He told her her was about to propose. The ring felt heavy on her hand. She had never worn much jewelry, just a simple gold ring on her right index finger. She liked the way it felt already, like it had been there forever. Owen's parents hugged Claire and congratulated them both. They got ready to leave the pier and make their way to their vehicles when Owen asked his parents if they wouldn't mind taking Maisie and heading on to the restaurant and he and Claire would catch up a few minutes later. They happily obliged. Maisie looked a little worried at them and said, "don't be too long." "We won't, kiddo, I promise. We'll be right behind you." Owen kissed Maisie on the forehead and watched them walk to their car. He then sat down on the bleachers with Claire. The pier was getting quiet, most of the other families and soldiers having left already. "Claire, are you upset with me?" Claire felt ashamed that her reaction to his having the ring for a year was one of disdain. She couldn't have been more elated, just shocked at the same time. "Owen, no, not at all. I just can't believe you bought a ring after we had only been back together for such a short period of time." "Claire, we don't have to get married for a few YEARS if you don't want to." He put emphasis on the word, but he hoped it wouldn't really be that long. "But I was 100% in from the moment we landed on that island together again. And after everything that happened I knew I had to make my feelings for you official if I made it home safe from this mission. You are it for me. I just needed you to know that." Claire wrapped her arms around him and held him for what seemed like hours. He could hear her sobbing and rubbed her back softly and said, "I never forgot how good it feels to hold you but damn, it's been too long." Claire sat up straight and looked at him. He looked more tired then he did after both of the incidents they had gone through together. He was still ruggedly handsome, however. His hair was soft along the back of his neck where her hand now rested, and that devilish grin of his was sending her into orbit just like every time before. His green eyes met hers and she said, "Owen, this past year was the hardest year of my life. I never wanted you to suffer for the poor decisions I made. I'm so sorry for everything! I'm really sorry." She was crying again. She wondered if it was possible to cry as much as she had in the past year. "I don't deserve you, Owen. You're a good man. You don't deserve what I've put you through. I've hurt you so much, and I'm really sorry and I-" He grabbed her shoulders and gently shook some sense into her. "Claire, stop it! You've got to stop feeling guilty for everything that's happened. It's not all your fault. You have to stop taking the blame for everything. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy. And I want to make you happy. I know we are both incompatible in many ways. This will never change. But we know how to work things out together now. We know how to act like adults and be there for each other and for Maisie. I love you! I have loved you for five, six years now. Every single day. No matter what. We're a pain in each other's ass sometimes, we both know that. But I love bantering with you and I love holding you and kissing you and I love everything that we share...Claire. Haha, that rhymed." Alas, came her famous "my boyfriend is a dumb goofball" eye roll. He continued on. "Claire, listen. I know this past year has been hard on you. I know you miss the busy lifestyle of working long hours every day and not having to answer to everyone and being the boss. I want you to be able to still do all those things. I don't want you to think that this ring signifies settling down completely. I don't expect you to sit at home and just raise Maisie. I know you need to do more than that. And I support you in every way. We're going to be a family, but we're also still going to give each other the freedom to follow our dreams and passions at the same time. And speaking of Maisie, it looks like you've done a fantastic job with her so far, Claire. I know a child was not in your life plan, at least not any time soon. The sacrifices you have made are huge, Claire. Having a child is a full-time, big life decision, but you didn't skip a beat when we found her. What little bit I've gotten to witness of you two together so far, Claire, you are more maternal than you think you are and it shows through her. She's going to turn out strong, independent and smart because of you. She's the bravest kid I know, and you're the bravest woman I know." Claire felt bad that their conversation had turned out so serious after this amazing man just proposed to her after not seeing her for a whole year. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "Thank you. I learned a lot about bravery from you." Owen chuckled, "Nah, you're way braver than I have ever been. You can kick my ass and you know it!" Claire gave him a sly smile and he leaned in and kissed her again. Claire looked at her watch. "I guess we better go before your parents and Maisie wonder if we got lost." Owen put his hands on Claire's arms again to focus her attention on him. He could feel the slight muscles in her arms and he raised his eyebrows a little. "Do you know how sexy you are?" Claire rolled her eyes at him again. "Owen, seriously, we better go." "Seriously, Claire, you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I'm so lucky. I love you." His "sexy" statement was flirty, but his last statement was sincere in the purest form. He kissed her softly on the lips one more time and asked, "Do you like the ring?" Claire looked down and admired the diamond ring on her left ring finger. She was so caught up in her emotions she really hadn't even paid much attention to the details of the ring itself. "It's gorgeous, Owen. But I still can't believe you kept it with you this whole time." Owen grinned and said, "What can I say? I'm more organized than you give me credit for." Claire smiled at him, kissed him gently on the lips and stood up with his help. "We'll see how organized you manage to be at home!" He held her hand as they stepped off the bleachers together and walked hand in hand to Claire's car to drive them to the restaurant.

When they arrived to the restaurant, there were a few more people at their table to surprise Owen on his return home. Franklin, Zia and Barry were all there with their phones out snapping pictures and handing out hugs and congratulations on Owen's homecoming. "When is the official discharge?" Franklin asked. "Not until next week, but my Navy days are hopefully over after this," Owen quipped back. Zia caught a glimpse of Claire's ring and gasped and said, "I have an even better question! When is the official wedding, dude?!" Claire laughed at Zia's quick response and Owen put his arm around her and said, "whenever Claire decides what heels to wear." Claire glared at him and rolled her eyes and everyone else, including Maisie, laughed at his joke. The eight of them sat around a big table at the steak house for a little while, eating and laughing and reminiscing. Everyone was curious to know how Owen and the rest of the special operations team caught the Mosasaurus and what the plan was for her future. Owen filled them in on what he was allowed to talk about. The plans were to hopefully transfer the marine dinosaur to an island sanctuary where an extremely large underwater wall would be built to keep her contained so that she was not out in the open sea again. The plans were iffy and he told everyone not to get their hopes up but that it was explained to him that these were the government's intentions. Part of Claire felt bad that the dinosaur would be held captive for the rest of her life, but part of her was also relieved because she knew what the other possible alternative was. After a while of catching up at the table, Claire remembered she promised her sister a selfie with Owen and Maisie. While she planned to still do this, she thought she'd send her a picture of something else first. She took her phone out of her pocket and snapped a picture of her left hand and texted it to Karen. A few seconds later Claire's phone lit up with every happy, shocked and excited emoji face Karen could find. Then all of a sudden her phone rang. She stepped away from the table for a minute to take the call. "Claire! Oh my God! What the Hell?!" Claire smiled through the phone and Karen could hear it. "Karen, I'm still in shock myself. He picked me up off the ground, kissed me and then immediately got down on one knee. I wasn't expecting it at all." "Claire, you sound really happy. Oh my God, I just, I can't believe it!" "I AM really happy, Karen. Thank you. We still have some things to work out and we've already agreed to take things a little slower and act more mature this time around, but I am happy. I figured you could appreciate a little excitement this evening. Lord knows, I've had my share of it today!" Karen was over the moon for her little sister. She knew her sister like the back of her hand and although she knew Claire and Owen were ultimately meant for each other, she honestly didn't think Claire would ever say yes to a proposal. Then again, she never thought she'd see her sister with a child either, despite whether she gave birth to her herself or not. "Claire, go be with your family right now. And send me that selfie too! I want to see how cute your FIANCÉ looks in his uniform!" That word hadn't registered with Claire yet, and she smiled again through the phone. "I will Karen. I will go back to the table and take it right now and send it to you right away. But quit trying to take my man!" They both laughed at Claire's joke and she told Karen she would call her and their parents the next day.

When Claire returned to the table, Maisie was sitting in Owen's lap. She climbed over to Claire's lap and gave her a casual hug. Claire didn't know the reason for the hug but she didn't ask any questions. She told Owen and Maisie to lean in for a selfie. Maisie put her arms around Claire and leaned their two heads together. Right before Claire got ready to snap the picture on her phone, Owen leaned in closer, closed his eyes and kissed her on the cheek. It was not planned. It was unexpected. It was not what Claire had told them to do. She looked down at her phone after she snapped the picture and saw the sweetest selfie in the world. Maybe unexpected and unplanned wasn't so bad after all. She put a black and white filter on it and sent it to her sister. She then set it as her lock screen on her phone. Claire Dearing still had her "corporate boss lady" side, but she was finding a softer, more endearing side to herself and she liked the person the two people in the selfie with her were turning her into. Franklin, Zia and Barry left the restaurant after a little while, wanting Owen to have some family time with his parents and Claire and Maisie. The five of them sat around the table a little longer and talked and ate dessert. Owen's father insisted on paying the bill when they were done. Claire tried to argue with him and Owen warned his father about arguing with Claire, but his father said in a playful way, "Claire can get it next time!" He winked at Claire and she thanked his parents for coming and for dinner, dessert and great company. His parents hugged all three of them and congratulated them on their engagement and his return home. Owen's father, a former Navy man himself, patted his son's shoulder and said, "Son, I'm very proud of you, and I'm glad you're home safe. Take care of those two beautiful girls over there. Your mother and I are off to Cancun in a couple of days!" Owen practically teared up at his father's words. He went into the military originally to keep the family tradition alive. To hear his father say he was proud of him was, to say the least, overwhelming. This wasn't the first time his father had told him this, but this time it just felt like it meant more to him for some reason.

They said their goodbyes in the restaurant parking lot and Claire got in her car with Maisie in the back seat and Owen next to her. They drove home to Claire's apartment. Owen asked if they had been out to the cabin to check on it lately and Maisie quickly pointed out that they went every few weekends to make sure what he had built so far was still intact, and it was. They slept in his RV van that was still parked a few feet from the cabin and took Saturday afternoon walks around the lake together when they went out there. Claire glanced at Owen and smiled at him as she drove. Her apartment was a short distance from the restaurant and they got home within ten minutes. Owen grabbed his bags out of the trunk and they made their way up the elevator to the eighth floor. Claire unlocked the door and Owen motioned for her and Maisie to enter first. Despite his rugged, tough exterior, he was always an old fashioned, chivalrous gentleman. Owen entered Claire's apartment behind them and quickly noticed the scent of vanilla. If she wasn't wearing vanilla, she was burning it. Claire of course blew the candle out before she and Maisie left earlier that day for the pier, but the scent still lingered throughout the whole living room and he knew in that moment he was home. It didn't matter if it was a cabin yet or not. He had what mattered the most standing next to him. Maisie pulled Owen by his hand to show him her updated bedroom. When he left for his mission a year ago, it was still somewhat generic, having originally been a spare bedroom in Claire's apartment that she didn't use a lot for anything. Over the course of the year that Owen was gone, Claire added some turquoise and gray paint to the walls and bought a bookshelf for all of Maisie's books and toys to sit on neatly. Claire was determined if Maisie didn't become anything else, she would know what organization was. Her full size bed was adorned with stuffed animals, mostly dinosaurs, and her favorite book, Where The Wild Things Are, was sitting on the night stand under her lamp. Claire lost count of how many times she read that book to Maisie over the course of one year. Maisie lost count of how many times she read it to Claire over the course of one year. Owen asked Claire who painted the room. Claire shot him a look and he threw his hands up and tried to cover for himself. "I'm sorry. I just figured since you don't like to get dirty..." Claire let him off the hook. She wasn't about to argue with him about paint when he just put a ring on her finger, something she honestly didn't see coming of all things that day. Owen went to Claire's bedroom to change out of his uniform and Claire followed him to change out of her jeans and put on some shorts. She stepped into her walk-in closet and slipped her pants down revealing her underwear and the scar still very visible on her right leg. Owen could see her from the bed where he was removing his boots. He came up behind her and gently ran his hand down her thigh. She jumped a little at his unexpected touch and it sent chills up and down her whole body. She remembered the conversation with her sister a few months prior about children needing skin to skin contact sometimes and she realized this was something she needed too, from Owen. His hands were calloused and rough on top but his palms were soft and the feeling of his hand on her thigh created goosebumps over her arms and legs. Owen had the same reaction to touching her as she had to feeling his touch. She felt so good up against him. He wondered how he made it a whole year, plus the full year they were broken up before that, without touching her. He was not even trying to get into foreplay...yet. He looked down, concerned at her leg as he ran his hand lightly over the scar. "Does it still hurt?" Claire kept her eyes on his hand. "Yes. There are days when it's fine and then there are days when I get shooting, stabbing pains either up or down my leg moving from where the scar is. The doctor said it may go away over time or I may have some nerve and/or tissue damage and the pain may be there for life, just not as intense as time goes by." "Claire, I'm so sorry." He looked upset. Claire turned around to face him and he stood in the middle of all her clothes and shoes and wrapped both arms around her waist. She put her hands up to both sides of his face and stood on her tip toes to kiss him. He was several inches taller than her, and only when she wore heels could she manage to reach him without stretching so much. She kissed him gently and then rested her forehead against his. "That scar is in no way your fault, Owen. You know that." He still felt bad about it and expressed his concern for her well being. "I'm fine, I promise. Besides, at least now I have something to show how hard I worked to try to make things right, even if I failed at everything in the end." Owen knew better than to ever call Claire Dearing a failure and he wouldn't allow her to call herself one either. "Claire, don't ever say you failed at everything. Yes, you made some mistakes. We all have. But the difference between you and a lot of other people is you learned from your mistakes and made a lot of things right by them. You started a foundation. You cared enough about those majestic creatures to practically climb into a volcano to save their lives. You saved a child's life. You saved my life. You save me every day." Claire felt the tears welling up again but she tried to fight the urge for once. "You're the strongest, most courageous, most beautiful person in the world, Claire, inside and out. And I'm so lucky to get to be the one to witness it first hand every day." She kissed him, this time a little more passionately and told him she loved him. Claire put a pair of pajama shorts on and Owen threw on a pair of pajama pants and a fresh NAVY t-shirt. When they returned to the living room they found Maisie diligently working on something. She was sitting at the coffee table drawing a picture of a Stegosaurus, her favorite dinosaur...besides Blue. Claire and Owen curled up on the couch together with a blanket and watched her continue with her artwork. Owen put his arm around Claire and she rested her head on his shoulder. A half a box of Crayola markers later and Maisie asked if she could hang her drawing on the refrigerator. Claire agreed, and then told Maisie to go brush her teeth. "Do I have to? It's not even 10:00 yet!" Claire have Maisie a "mom" look and she eventually obliged. "Okay." Owen raised an eyebrow to Claire, impressed by her old fashioned parenting skills. "Wow, all you did was look at her the wrong way and that worked?" Claire Iaughed and said it worked on her when she was a child. He pulled her in for a hug and they stayed curled up on the couch in silence for the few minutes Maisie was gone to get ready for bed. Claire remembered back when they used to lie in Owen's hammock outside by his van in silence for hours, not talking to each other, just quietly enjoying each other's embrace and the scenery around them. She closed her eyes, tired from the long day and imagined the two of them lying in his hammock on the island together. She regretted that they never got to do that when they lived and worked there. It would have been so peaceful. She missed that damn island so much. So much of her life was spent there. It was where she met Owen. It was where she found her calling. She missed her job, she missed being the boss, being in control, being the one everyone looked to for answers. If only she could have done things differently, she thought. But here she was with the one person who never placed all of the blame on her, who fell in love with her, who made her feel loved in return. She could truly be herself with him and that made her feel safe. Claire looked down at the ring on her finger again and smiled. It was beautiful but it wasn't about a piece of jewelry to Claire. It was about a commitment. For years she didn't feel like she was capable of loving someone and being loved in return. And for years, Owen was the last person on Earth whom she thought would be the one to change all of that. Her work was her love, her life. She didn't think anyone would be capable of showing her a life outside of that. But he did. Owen kissed her on her temple and rested his head on hers. He was exhausted and he could tell she was too. Maisie came back into the living room to tell them goodnight. Owen asked Claire if she had to work the next day. She told him she had taken a few days off so they could spend some time together. His official naval discharge was in three days and he asked Claire and Maisie if they wanted to spend the next few days at the cabin. They both agreed it sounded wonderful so he told Maisie to go ahead and go pack a bag and then go to bed. She walked over and gave him a tight hug around his neck and said, "I'm really glad you're home, Owen. I missed you. Claire cried a lot for you while you were gone. She missed you a lot too. Can I help you work on the cabin when we get there tomorrow?" Owen felt his heart breaking for Claire and for this sweet little girl who, despite everything she had been through, had such an innocence about her. "Of course you can, Mais! You can help me carry the 2x4s while Claire stands by and gives orders because she's the boss." Owen winked at her and she bounced over to Claire. "C'mon, I'll tuck you in, Sweetie." Claire rolled her eyes playfully at Owen and got up with his assistance to put Maisie to bed.

When they got to Maisie's room, Claire tucked her in and asked if she was happy Owen was back home. "I really am." Claire agreed to help Maisie pack a bag in the morning to go to the cabin. She told Maisie she loved her and got up from Maisie's bed and walked to the doorway. Just as she grabbed the door handle to close Maisie's door, she heard her name in that cute, soft British accent. "Claire?" "Yes, sweetie?" Claire turned around to look at Maisie. "I'm glad Owen came home safe so you don't have to cry anymore." Claire somehow managed to keep it together long enough to agree with Maisie and shut the door behind her. When she got to the hallway, she'd planned to make her way back to the living room but as she passed her bedroom a hand grabbed hers and pulled her inside. Owen shut the door once she was in all the way and locked it behind them. He took her hand and walked over to the bed with her. They sat down at the foot of her bed, now "their" bed, and he placed both hands on her face. She knew where this was going to lead now that Maisie was in bed and their bedroom door was locked. He placed a kiss on her forehead, then moved down to the top of her nose. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes and he then kissed both of her eyelids. Her skin was so soft. He still couldn't get over it. She must go through a bottle of lotion a week, he thought. His lips finally made their way to Claire's and they stayed there together crashing into each other for a few minutes. He stopped at one point to get Claire's nonverbal permission to keep going and she readily gave it to him. He moved his hands down to her waist on both sides and curled his fingers under the bottom of her tank top. She lifted her arms, still face to face with him not wanting to pull away. He slowly pulled her shirt off over her head, revealing her porcelain white skin and her navy blue bra. Every movement he made was slow and carefully thought out. He kissed her neck and made his way down to her shoulders. His plan was to kiss every inch of her body before falling asleep with her in his arms that night. She pulled his shirt over his head and came back in for a kiss on the lips. He lifted her off the foot of the bed and carried her to the middle of the bed and laid down next to her. She turned on her side to face him and he put his arms around her waist again as she wrapped hers around his neck. They continued kissing as he ran his hands up and down her back and unclasped her bra. "Owen..." Claire breathed his name out, feeling things she hadn't felt in so long. They kept going slowly and passionately, Owen careful not to hurt her leg, but wanting her to feel everything she deserved to feel. And Claire felt it all. She could feel in her mind, body and heart that this was the most beautiful night they were about to spend together since they fell in love all those years ago on that damn island. The tender way he touched her and the care he took with every movement as their bodies got reunited with each other made her feel warm and relaxed at the same time. No one had ever made her feel the way Owen Grady did, physically or emotionally. They collapsed into the sheets and into each other's arms once they went as far as their body's would let them, which was pretty far a couple of times over. They lied there for a while, kissing and talking about his mission. Claire's breathing slowed down after a little while and he could tell she was about to fall asleep so he said one last thing to her before she drifted off in his arms. "Thank you, Claire." Claire looked at him a little confused. "For what?" There was a tear trying to fall from his eyelid. "For saying 'yes'." Claire kissed him one more time and laid her head back down on his bare chest. Owen thought back to the time on the cargo ship when Claire "accidentally" fell asleep on his chest and he chuckled a little. Here she was asleep on his chest again, breathing so quietly, their skin touching each other's. Even after all those years, he still couldn't get over how beautiful she was. A few minutes later she woke back up just as he was drifting off to sleep and she leaned up and kissed him on the lips as gently as she could, careful not to wake him. She laid her head down on his shoulder and for the first time in a long time, she allowed her mind to relax. Thanks to him, her body was already relaxed. Her leg even felt free of any pain. He was here, home, safe. She could feel him and see him and kiss him again. It was not a dream. It was real, which was even better than a dream. She soon fell asleep in his arms in their king sized bed ready to see what their next adventure together had in store for them.

Tomorrow they would start a new life together, the three of them. The cabin would have to wait...at least one more night.


End file.
